Summer is unofficially here, and the inaugural Indiewood Street Festival in Englewood was the perfect way to kick it off. The festival was an absolute hit for the scene — we can always use more music festivals — and showcased not just our great local talent, but the magic that can happen when a city and nonprofit collaborate to throw an event that really activates the community and uplifts artists.
Swallow Hill Music had been planning the event with Downtown Englewood for the past year, marking the music nonprofit’s return to the festival world since the pandemic shut down its Blues and Brews and Brewgrass fests, and the intention put into Indiewood showed in every detail. A colorful installation of flowers by Cal Duran decorated the Little Dry Creek Plaza, and well-curated vendors lined the way to the stage. By mid-afternoon on June 7, the festival was sold out and the crowd was all smiles through every act.
Popular shoegaze indie-rock band Barbara kicked off the festival with its signature shoegaze grunge. The band expertly lays a foundation to build soundscapes that entrance an audience, and we got to hear songs off of its latest album, SO THIS IS LIVING, which is one of the best local indie albums released so far this year. The basslines had us moving without even realizing it, the vocals were heavenly and the sound would grow, from delicate to deeply heavy…